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Fuego To Go

That little spot at 4 North First Street (next to Nicola’s) has seen a parade of short-lived ventures – most of which barely lasted a year. I suspect things might be different with Rob Cruz and Phillip Hollar’s Fuego To Go. And for several reasons: First, the food is actually good, and is served up with a smile (another thing lacking with some of the previous tenants). Second, they will be open until 3 a.m. in season. Industry people are going to love this. And third – and this is a big deal – they deliver. Yes, there’s a minimum and a fee, but it’s small compared to wrestling the in-season downtown traffic.

“Taco delivery” you ask? “Won’t things arrive soggy and wet?” Actually, no. New Jersey’s Phillip Hollar and Delaware’s Roberto Cruz (two pretty funny guys, by the way) have figured out how to deliver the inherently delicate taco in DIY form: In other words, you assemble the taco from a little kit of cool and crispy and/or hot and savory ingredients – none of which touch one another until you build it your way. I ordered a bunch of carryout last night and was impressed at how each little kit arrived – each one marked with what it was on the menu, and outfitted with all the promised sauces, proteins, toppings, etc.

One of my favorites is the Gore Bay Bay. Named after a friend of theirs. The star of the GBB show is the Korean BBQ steak. One of my gripes about spiced meats served in a Mexican style is that many cooks overload with one or the other spice. That is not the case at Fuego To Go. The beef had a bright taste all its own – it was hard to pick out any one ingredient. I found myself picking out pieces of the steak and nibbling them as I was building the tacos for my (unsuspecting) guests. No one saw me, so all is well. A generous sprinkle of sesame seeds, a whisper of lime and a few springs of cilantro added a fresh and nutty dimension to the steak, enhanced with crunchy slaw (packaged separately), cilantro lime cream, and their spicy Fuego Sauce (basically a spicy mayo) – again, all packaged separately. I suggest that this dish be your intro to Fuego To Go when you visit.

By the way, don’t be put off by the prices! Each “taco” on the menu arrives with 3-4 corn or flour tortillas (your choice) warmly wrapped in foil so each single item yields around 3 VERY generous tacos. I fed 4 people last night, and we were all stuffed from the two tacos, the guac and the rice bowl I ordered. And I had food left over.

Gore Bay Bay1/7

Fuego To Go2/7

Fuego To Go3/7

Cool ‘n’ Fresh Guac4/7

The Prime Minister5/7

Rice Bowl with the shredded BBQ pork6/7

Fuego To Go7/7

Another taco (there are 20, by the way – count ’em: twenty) that Phillip gently persuaded me to order is The Prime Minister. Rib eye steak is roasted, spiced and sliced fajita-style. Slightly charred edges added a great taste to the steak, enhanced by a sort of Thai-style mango habanero BBQ sauce (quite good), that crunchy slaw and a surprisingly brisk pineapple pico de gallo. This is another must-get. If these guys can keep up this level of quality as they get into the busy summer months, this place will be a hit.

Any taco can be ordered as a rice bowl. There are two styles of rice, both of which are rich in taste. I like the Cilantro Lime White Rice, but one of the tacos came with a side of the Puerto Rican Yellow Rice and that was good too. The bowls arrive with the Fuego Sauce pre-applied, but you can ask for it on the side if you live in fear of sauces.

Last and certainly not least I have to tell you about the guacamole. That stuff is so delicate, and cannot sit out for even a few minutes without doing what avocados do (they turn brown). Cooks know how to stop that from happening, and I wanted to see how Rob and Phillip handled that problem with something that would have to stand the test of delivery. Well, they aced it: The top of the guac was covered in thin slices of fresh lime. BINGO! That keeps the guac fresh and bright green, and adds a great taste to boot. So order guac without trepidation, my friends, these guys are on it. Again – I hope that attention to detail lasts when all you-know-what breaks loose in a couple of months. HINT, HINT, Rob & Phil!

There are nachos, cute little “Party Bites” (beef or chicken tortilla cups with taco fixins’) and sides like corn, plantains and even the African/Puerto Rican favorite Mofongo. All whipped up with the Fuego To Go touch of flavorful sauces and Latin veggies. By the way, for the spice wimps out there, they will happily make any of their dishes mild for you. And for my vegetarian friends, there are several flavorful tacos (the Psilocybin looks particularly tempting) and a number of sides that eschew meat.

The even bigger news is that they plan to be open until 3am in season – and that includes delivery! A minimum order applies to delivery, of course, and there is a nominal delivery charge. There are pics of their food and their crew in the gallery. Enjoy. I am definitely going back and will add photos as I go.

About the Author

The Rehoboth Foodie
"My goal is to promote Rehoboth Beach dining while remaining honest and impartial. I don’t gush unless a place deserves it, and I don’t pull punches, either. With so many good places to eat around here, it just doesn’t make sense to waste the calories — or the money — on anything less." View all articles written by The Rehoboth Foodie

Late night craving, frig. was lacking a solution…ah haa, FUEGO TO GO. Finally gave the Prime Minister a try and a side of Tostones. The PM beef was perfectly seasoned as the base of the meal. I agree with another who mentioned the beef a little chewy. The flavors were there, perhaps slower cooking? The rice was good, the beans a little loose but it was after all 2am. The Big Hit for me were the tostones I ordered on a whim, most times I find them not well prepared. These guys get it, they were delicious with great texture and sauce.
I’m praying time will give more of thier unique offerings a moment to be sampled and refined. Tostones in each of my future orders as I work through the menu looking for other gems. Good luck guys.

We had high hopes for this place, and after reading this review, we opted for the Prime Minister and the Crab tacos plus guacamole. The first disappointment was the miniature tortillas – 2 regular size would have been much better. The steak for the Prime Minister was well seasoned, but it was overdone and tough to chew. The guacamole was too thin and pretty much tasteless (lacked seasoning maybe? We’ve had better from the Giant store). My husband’s comment on the crab was “so-so”. At almost $50. for our order, it wasn’t a win. Sorry!

Called both numbers the Foodie listed in an attempt to order delivery. 6:45 Saturday night. HEAT asked for an access code. TACO suggested calling back to place an order. I did and got the same message. The message suggested another number to call. It was not answered. I gave up.

I’m extremely sorry about that we are short on drivers for delivery and we been really busy with walk ins and take out.. we are doing are best to make everyone happy again I’m sorry about not getting to the phone..

3rd time was a charm! We went back today (per Phil’s invite), and met Rob. He more than made up for the bad experience last time. We ordered the same two tacos. This time, the Gore Bay Bay looked and tasted like what the Foodie posted- Korean BBQ sauce, sesame seeds, and warm tortillas. As small business owners ourselves, we understand the value of customer service and building customer loyalty. Phil and Rob definitely get it. Thank you for restoring our faith. We will be back!

We went for takeout on Thursday night. We waited almost 20 minutes for 2 dinners. I got the Gore Bay Bay. My meat was minced, though the Korean BBQ flavor was good. However, what was supposed to be cilantro lime cream tasted like dill, which is not complementary to the BBQ flavor. The “slaw” was a few pieces of raw, undressed cabbage. I didn’t get the Fuego sauce, and the corn tortillas were cold and dry. My husband’s Carne Asada had NO flavor and was dry as tree bark. He did get the Fuego sauce which tasted like thousand island dressing. For $29, the food was terribly underwhelming. We will not be back.

Cathy I’m sorry you had a bad experience my name is phil the owner and I would love for you to come back and try it again, we are ramping up for the season and hired new staff which are in the process of training we would like a chance to change your mind about our restaurant, come in any time and ask for phil or rob and I promise you we will make the food to your expectation… If your experience was that bad please come in and I will refund your money, thanks for the review

We ordered their delivery last night and tried two of your recommendations – the Gore Bay Bay & The Prime Minister. Oh, my gosh! These are without a doubt the best tacos we have ever had and we lived in Houston for over 30 years! They are very unusual and the flavors are wonderfully intense. We also tried the guac and it is also, the best guac we have ever had. There was one issue with the order and that was that we called at 6:30 and it arrived a little after 8:00 so you may be right to have concerns that they will be able to deal with the insanity of the season. The guac didn’t have limes on it (I expect because they were really busy) but it was still super fresh by the time it got to us. I spoke to two different guys; the first gentleman took my order and the 2nd was a follow-up call to see where the food might be. Both of these guys are really, really nice – super friendly. So how can you get upset, even if dinner arrives late? Great people and awesome food. Next time we’ll just plan to order earlier than needed. Thanks for letting us know about Fuego to Go. We plan to be regular customers!

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